The March 2001 issue of International Family Planning Perspectives, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of The Alan Guttmacher Institute, features several new studies on reproductive health and rights:
SOCIAL NETWORKS INFLUENCE CONTRACEPTIVE CHOICE IN THAILAND
The more family ties households in a village have with one another and with those in other villages, the more likely the women in those households are to use modern forms of reversible contraception, according to "Kinship Networks and Contraceptive Choice in Nang Rong, Thailand," by Jenny Godley of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina. Data from a household survey in 51 villages in the Nang Rong district in northeastern Thailand indicate, for example, that married women who live in households with five family ties to other households are 17% more likely to use the injectable than women with no extended kin in other households (41% vs. 35%). Godley concludes that kinship ties at the household and the village level affect contraceptive choice by facilitating the spread of information about and resources for modern contraception.
IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN IS ENHANCED BY MULTIMEDIA APPROACH
Exposure to multiple sources of information resulted in increased awareness of contraceptive methods and increased contraceptive use at last sex among youth in Zimbabwe. In "Promoting Sexual Responsibility Among Young People in Zimbabwe," by Young Mi Kim and Adrienne Kols of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs and colleagues with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), the authors examine the outcomes of the ZNFPC campaign to increase reproductive health knowledge and promote sexually responsible behavior among youth. Baseline and follow-up surveys assessing the knowledge level of roughly 1,400 men and women aged 10-24 were used to measure the success of the Promotion of Youth Responsibility Project, a multimedia campaign that included posters, newsletters, a radio program, launch events, peer educators and a hot line.
One of the campaign's accomplishments was building support, in the community and within the health care system, for reproductive health interventions directed at young people. Though general reproductive health knowledge changed little, the campaign prompted young people to discuss a range of reproductive health issues with friends and families. Youth who were exposed to the campaign were also more likely than those who were not to say no to sex and to seek services at health and youth centers. Researchers attributed the success of the campaign to its use of a multimedia approach.
POSTPARTUM PERIOD IS KEY FOR PROVIDING CONTRACEPTIVE INFORMATION AND SERVICES
Two-thirds of women who have given birth within the past year have an unmet need for contraception, according to the analysis "Contraceptive Use, Intention of Use and Unmet Need During the Extended Postpartum Period," by John A. Ross and William L. Winfrey of The Futures Group. Data for 27 developing countries, collected as part of the Demographic and Health Surveys, reveal that many women experience substantially shorter periods between births than they intended. While only 11% of women want another child within 24 months, 35% actually have one. Moreover, of all unmet need for contraception, two-fifths falls among women who have given birth within the past year. Prenatal visits, delivery services and subsequent health care system contacts are promising avenues for reaching postpartum women with an unmet need for and a desire to use family planning services.
The issue also features:
• a research note, "Clandestine Abortion in Latin America: A Clinic Profile," by Jennifer Strickler of the University of Vermont, Angela Heimburger of the Population Council and Karen Rodriguez of the United Nations; and
• a viewpoint, "The Media, Public Opinion and Population Assistance: Establishing the Link," by Thomas Schindlmayr of the Australian National University.